http://mmajunkie.comDespite missing weight by a wide margin for what was supposed to be his light-heavyweight debut, former UFC heavyweight champ Ricco Rodriguez easily outpointed M-1 and Bellator vet Daniel Tabera in the headliner of today’s “Israel FC: Genesis.”

The upstart organization’s debut event took place at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel, and aired via online pay-per-view.

Rodriguez weighed 215 pounds for the 205-pound fight. But after Tabera agreed to his opponent’s fine and a 215-pound catchweight bout, Rodriguez scored takedowns with ease and ground-and-pounded his way to a lopsided decision win.

Rodriguez (45-11), just a few months removed from knee surgery, scored multiple takedowns whenever Tabera (16-4-3) began to gain some momentum standing up. Once there, Rodriguez easily maneuvered into dominant ground positions with a steady (though sometimes slow) stream of punches from the top.

The performance earned the resurgent fighter a unanimous-decision win and marks his 10th consecutive victory in just a 15-month span.

Rodriguez recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he’d like to get back to the UFC or another major promotion. But he knows that at 33 years of age and with nearly 12 years of pro-fighting wear and tear on his body, it could be his swan song.

“I’m only going to get one shot at it, and I know that when I get that
one shot, I want to be the best Ricco Rodriguez there is,” he said.

In what could be his final fight before a drop to light heavyweight, the former UFC heavyweight title-challenger quickly took the fight to the mat, delivered crushing knee strikes to the ribs, and ultimately cinched the deal with the submission in the final minute of the first round.

Monson now has won five straight fights and 14 of his past 17 in a variety of organizations. All of the fights have taken place outside the UFC, which he left in 2006 after a title loss to then-champ Tim Sylvia in 2006.

In his first fight since a UFC release and potential MMA retirement, Frank Trigg (20-8) made quick work of Israel’s Roy Neeman (1-1), an accomplished jiu-jitsu competitor. Trigg immediately went on the offensive and landed punches with ease. After an initial knockdown, Neeman briefly got back to his feet, but a subsequent barrage of punches sent him to the mat for good, where Trigg forced the referee’s intervention with a final volley of ground and pound.

Trigg, who suffered losses to Josh Koscheck and Matt Serra in his most recent UFC stint, picked up his first win since February 2009 with the performance.

Another UFC vet, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, also got a much-needed win. Although he splashed on the PRIDE scene in 2007 and eventually made his way to the UFC, the Cameroonian striker has dealt with inconsistency in the past few years and entered today’s fight with back-to-back losses and four defeats in his previous six fights.

Although his fight with Lithuanian journeyman Valdas Pocevicius (33-25-3) lacked any of his trademark fireworks, Sokoudjou (10-8) steadily chipped away at his opponent and appeared to win all three rounds for his first decision win since his pro debut.

Two other UFC vets didn’t fare so well on the overseas card. Former UFC title challenger and ex-WEC champ Hermes Franca (19-11) suffered a close decision loss to Israeli ground specialist Moishe Kaitz (3-2), and Carter (49-26-7) was bested on points by local fighter Jeremy Knafo (1-0).

After losing the first two rounds of a grappling-heavy affair, Franca came out strong in the third and pounded away on his opponent from the mount. Kaitz absorbed dozens of unanswered blows but survived to the final bell to earn the decision victory.

Carter, meanwhile, went toe to toe with a tough Knafo and split the first two rounds. But Knafo took control in the third with strikes from all angles that rocked his opponent and sealed the decision win.

After the fight, the 38-year-old “Mr. International,” who was competing in his 10th country as part of an illustrious 14-year career, announced his intention to retire from the sport.

IFL veteran Daniel Gracie (5-2-1) also picked up a win. Fighting for the first time in four years, the BJJ specialist submitted fellow light heavyweight Martin Wojcik (5-5) with a first-round rear-naked choke.